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| Aswang | |
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| Other languages: | German: Aswang Tagalog: Aswang, Tik-tik Русский: Асванг, Тик-тик Farsi: آسوانگ |
| Notables: | Sam Tomas Lani TomasTomas, Lani's younger son |
An Aswang (ah-SWAH-ng; Tag. "monster") or Tik-tik (tik-TIK; Tag. onomatopoeia) is a ghoul-like Wesen that appeared in "Mommy Dearest". They are indigenous to the Philippine Islands and exist within mainstream Filipino mythology.
Characteristics[]
When woged, Aswang are bald, ghoul-like creatures with pale grey skin and a bat-like nose. Their featureless, silver eyes glow faintly in the dark. The vertebrae along their backs enlarge to the point where they form a noticeable ridge, and they possess needle-like fangs and claws. Additionally, when they woge, their voices have a slightly more shrilled tone.
Aswang are notable for their black, forked, proboscis tongue that is able to stretch several times the length of their bodies. The tongue is designed to pierce flesh and can move solids in both directions through its long tube.
Their tongues serve three purposes, each related to the grisly habit they are infamous for. After chewing Valerian root, Aswangs will use their tongues to pierce the navel of a pregnant woman and inject the chemical properties into the woman, tranquilizing her. From there the Aswang will use their tongues to suck the infant out of the womb, but not before sucking up a large amount of amniotic fluid. Under normal circumstances, there would be a high risk of the amniotic sack breaking, which would cause labor or a miscarriage. Since Aswangs do not have this problem, it would mean their tongues are fine and precise as surgical tools.
They are nimble climbers and apparently very light, given the speed at how they can scale walls and trees. Their long claws and prehensile limbs make it possible for them to adhere over practically any surface, even horizontal ones like the ceiling. However, they aren't very strong, as Wu was able to kick away a fully woged Lani Tomas a fair distance with only one leg. Instead, they rely on their agility in combat, as well as their pouncing and their claws when confronting an adversary.
Behavior[]
Traditionally, the eldest son of a female Aswang must give up his first conceived child for his mother to consume in order to extend her lifespan; allegedly, without doing this act, she will die within a month. The tradition dates back hundreds of years, but some Aswang believe it is too barbaric for modern times. Whether the female Aswang will actually die if she fails to do so is unclear, but many Aswang believe it to be true, and female Aswang under such circumstances often become very desperate and are willing to do so even if their eldest sons are against it.
Aswang frequently make ticking sounds with their tongues, hence their alternate name, Tik-tiks. They have a reputation for being terrifying, and even other Wesen are afraid of them.
Excerpt from Grimm Diaries[]
I snuck down the putrid alley, followed the fetid smell of death and blood. But it had been able to elude me and escaped. I returned to find the pregnant woman being tended to by a midwife who told me and my peon that somehow the fetus had been extracted straight from the womb.
After the midwife was able to quell the hemorrhaging, the young woman gained consciousness. She told me it was an Aswang that had caused the tragedy. She had been sold as a bride, to be impregnated so that her firstborn may be consumed as means for a prolonged, healthy life.
Aswangs use their long tongues to inject chewed up Valerian root to sedate their victims as they attack. These attacks are often incorrectly diagnosed as miscarriages, and for the process to work, the fetus must be a blood relative to the Aswang.
After speaking with other locals about the infanticide, it seems to be that Filipinos aren't scared of much, the talk of ghosts and spirits do not shake them, however it is only the Aswang that will make them tremble with fear.
I've also learned that Awang have an alternate name - Tik-tiks, due to the ticking sound they make with their tongue.
The next attack that occurred in the town happened a few houses down where I happened to be quaffing tankards, so I finally was able to track down the beast and cut off its head.
The Aswang tongue seems to be infinitely long with the ability to draw liquid through it.
Season 3 Blu-ray Grimm Guide Profile[]
| “ | Originally of Philippine descent, an Aswang is a horrifying creature with sickly dark scales, lanky limbs, and a long, black tongue used to devour unborn fetuses for prolonged life. They are also known as "tik-tiks," for the ticking sound they make with their tongues. | ” |
Images[]
Video[]
Trivia[]
- Aswang is a generic term in the Tagalog language of the Philippines that refers to a demon, ghost, witch, or other monster. The aswang depicted in the legend told in "Mommy Dearest" is most like the manananggal, although instead of temporarily severing her body in half and sprouting wings to fly to the victim, Lani Tomas instead is a very adept climber. The name Tik-tik is also given to this creature, but the flapping of her wings is said to produce the sound.
- Aswang in Filipino folklore do not attack their friends or relatives, preferring to prey on strangers.
- Reggie Lee (Drew Wu), who is American-Filipino, suggested the Aswang, along with the Manananggal and the Duende, to the writers when they were looking for suggestions of Philippine mythical creatures.
| Season 3 Appearances | ||||||||||
| "The Ungrateful Dead": X |
"PTZD": X |
"A Dish Best Served Cold": X |
"One Night Stand": X |
"El Cucuy": X |
"Stories We Tell Our Young": X |
"Cold Blooded": X |
"Twelve Days of Krampus": X |
"Red Menace": X |
"Eyes of the Beholder": X |
"The Good Soldier": X |
| "The Wild Hunt": X |
"Revelation": X |
"Mommy Dearest": ✓ |
"Once We Were Gods": Ref |
"The Show Must Go On": X |
"Synchronicity": X |
"The Law of Sacrifice": X |
"Nobody Knows the Trubel I've Seen": X |
"My Fair Wesen": X |
"The Inheritance": X |
"Blond Ambition": X |
| Season 4 Appearances | ||||||||||
| "Thanks for the Memories": X |
"Octopus Head": X |
"The Last Fight": X |
"Dyin' on a Prayer": X |
"Cry Luison": X |
"Highway of Tears": X |
"The Grimm Who Stole Christmas": Ref |
"Chupacabra": X |
"Wesenrein": Ref |
"Tribunal": Ref |
"Death Do Us Part": X |
| "Maréchaussée": X |
"Trial by Fire": X |
"Bad Luck": X |
"Double Date": X |
"Heartbreaker": X |
"Hibernaculum": X |
"Mishipeshu": X |
"Iron Hans": X |
"You Don't Know Jack": X |
"Headache": X |
"Cry Havoc": X |